ANN: Forum-specific search widget added

[Arnis Gubins]

FYI, I've added a FrameMaker Forum-specific search widget to the Overview pages of the various sub-forums to try to make the search function a bit more useful (the default search function always included all forums).

If you have any more suggestions to make the FM forums more useful, please let me know.

[AxialInfo]

Bravo!!

[wideEyedPupil]

How can I use it? I find it RIDICULOUS that 15 minutes searching for how to use the search "More Options" filters has only listed frustrated posts not solutions that I can find and use.

I get zero hits when I move from All Forums to a specific forum. Is it because I am not specifying a wildcard token for the "Who?" field?

Hopeful for a fix.

Alastair

[Arnis Gubins]

Alastair,

The Search widget on the FM Forums pages searches the following FM-related forums:

FM General Discussions

FM Structured Discussions

FM Feature Requests

FM FAQ

TCS Installation issues

FM-RoboHelp Integration

Some tips for using search terms are available here: http://forums.adobe.com/search-tips.jspa

You really shouldn't need to use the "More options" items, as that's what this widget has already done for you (pre-selected the above forums and searched all discussions).

If you use the Forum general search, then by default all Forums are searched.

If you then want to narrow this (Where:) down, you'll need to (using the More Options) select the specific forums from the drop down list and under "What:" have the "Discussions" option enabled (otherwise, if you just have Forums selected, it will only search the list of forum names, i.e. top levels that contain no active content).

If you make an entry the optional Who field, then only the discussions from matching names of registered users within the selected forum(s) are searched.

The When option allows you to limit the search to items posted since a specified time.

[Arnis Gubins]

One more tip on using the More options, fi you've used the FM search widget.

If you want to narrow down the scope to a specific FM forum, then scroll down the (What:) list of Forums and "de-select" the FM forums that you do not want to search.

[wideEyedPupil]

Thanks. I was searching "Adobe Photoshop" and getting zero hits. I needed to select the sub-forums also. Great. I did not find this information in the search tips info. I think I recall having this problem in the past but forgot the solution. Seriously I just got in a big confused muddle trying to even ascertain which Forums a list of hits was being gathered from (other than reading the forum names for each individual thread). The whole thing is just clunky and I wasted a bunch of time this morning (at least half an hour trying to solve this) .

It's kind of unfortunate — I contributed time posting on the how to improve Adobe forums on the old woeful forums — that these new forums have such a clunky UI and poor page coherence on new page generation. I mean you are Adobe, not MS, is it to much to expect industry leading standards in online content from an online content creation tool maker?

Otherwise the users of these forums are really helpful and knowledgeable.

[Arnis Gubins]

Alastair,

I'm just another user like you and not with Adobe. The forum software is not an Adobe product, it's "Clearspace" by Jive and we're all at the same disadvantage with the search system and inadequate help system that comes with the product (the search tips are the full extent of the search help content from the Clearspace documentation).

[wideEyedPupil]

Hi Arnis,

Fair point. I still think it reflects poorly on Adobe, perhaps it's time they rolled there own or bought the company and fixed the product.

I took that spanner icon for more than an emblem but a marker of behind the scenes tinkering. Sorry for the mix-up and any 'tone' I might have thrown your way by implication.

Best

Alastair